DOJ Changes Stance On Online Gambling

As consumers prepare for the holidays, the Friday before Christmas brought some great news to the online gambling industry. The United States Department of Justice has drastically changed their stance on online gambling, stating that the federal Wire Act of 1961 only applies to sportsbetting, as opposed to the previous perspective, which included all online gambling activities such as lottery and online poker.

Many organizations in the online gambling industry applauded to move by the DOJ, claiming that this is a long overdue step to clarifying the confusing laws surrounding the industry.

“This is a much needed clarification of an antiquated and often confusing law,” said John Pappas, executive director of the Pokers Players Alliance. “For years, legal scholars and even the courts have debated whether the Wire Act applies to nonsporting activity. Today’s announcement validates the fact that Internet pokers does not violate this law.”

The Wire Act played an important role in the DOJ’s position on how to handle the legalities surrounding offshore online gambling firms that offered online poker to players residing in the United States. Many legal experts think that this move will lead us to legalization of online gambling in all forms in the United States.

More information on the DOJ’s new view of the Wire Act can be found here